SANFORD - Central Carolina Community College is current accepting applications for the STEP-UP Student Scholars Program.

The STEP-UP program at CCCC is a National Science Foundation funded scholarship program for students (who reside in the CCCC service area of Chatham, Harnett, and Lee counties) who have demonstrated financial need and are interested in completing associate degrees (A.S., A.E., or A.A.S.) in a field of science, math, or engineering.

The scholarship will pay up to the cost of tuition plus $500 per semester for books. It can be used in place of a Pell grant or in addition to a Pell grant.

Application requirements include:

• Students should apply for this scholarship in the spring of their senior year (deadline ongoing) of high school.
• Students should have a minimum unweighted high school GPA of 2.8.
• Students must demonstrate financial need. Financial need will be determined by completing the online FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) forms.
• Students should complete the online scholarship application, which includes a short essay detailing how this scholarship will increase their likelihood of success not only at the community college but beyond.
• Students should arrange for two letters of recommendation (at least one of which must be from a STEM instructor) to be sent to Dr. Rodney Powell (Central Carolina Community College, 1105 Kelly Drive, Sanford, N.C. 27330).
• Preference will be given to students who reside in Chatham, Harnett, or Lee counties.

Students awarded scholarships will be notified by May 1.

Once accepted into the program:

• Students must enroll as a full-time student at CCCC continuously until completion of the degree program.
• Students must maintain an overall GPA of 2.8 or they will be suspended from the program and will be required to re-apply for a subsequent academic year. Students who participate and maintain the GPA will retain the scholarship from year one to year two without needing to reapply.
• Students must attend activities (college visits, seminars, study sessions) and meetings.

For further information on the STEP-UP program, contact Dr. Rodney Powell, CCCC's Executive Director of the Center for Academic Excellence, at 919-718-7462 or by email at rtpowell@cccc.edu.

For more information on the CCCC STEP-UP Student Scholars Program, visit www.cccc.edu/studentservices/stepup.

For information about Central Carolina Community College and its programs, visit its website, www.cccc.edu or call the college at 919-775-5401.